Indian American tech entrepreneur Sabeer Bhatia, co-founder of the iconic email service Hotmail, recently took to X with a post that has raised eyebrows online. Sharing his experience of a run in chilly weather, Bhatia juxtaposed it with a pointed, tongue-in-cheek comment on Delhi’s air.
“Hey, guys. This is where I got to run today. It is absolutely gorgeous. But I’m very jealous of you guys. You have an EQI of 800, and you get to breathe all these wonderful chemicals in your body. Carbon, suit, nickel, cadmium. I don’t know what else is there in the air of Delhi. And watch movies. But as I have to freaking run in this cold weather and the AQI of 15, I am jealous. I am mad at you guys. Thank you very much, and please pass this along,” he wrote, referencing the city’s famously poor air quality.
Bhatia’s post quickly drew reactions ranging from humor to criticism, with many questioning his apparent mockery of Delhi’s environmental challenges. While Bhatia’s post appears to mix humor, envy, and environmental commentary, it reignited the ongoing discussion about air quality in major Indian cities and how it affects everyday life.
READ: Hotmail founder Sabeer Bhatia says he could have filed a patent — but thankfully didn’t (September 8, 2025)
Bhatia posted that video with the caption, “And they call me anti-national?”
While users fired back, saying, “I wonder what kind of bullets be flying around while you are breathing that fresh air around you Could be a 9mm, 10mm, 40 cal, 50cal Enjoy every breath as it’s the USA😂” with a statistical data of mass shooting. Bhatia replied back, “Four is too many, but they are four deranged individuals in a population of 350 million. Meanwhile, 20 million people in Delhi are slowly being choked to death.”
Another user wrote, “Privileged landscape. The cargo ships of the navy I work in make stopover at the Port of Oakland, not San Francisco. You do not have to face loading & unloading operations, anchored vessels for one week, port congestion… Only recreation. Lucky you!” Bhatia replied that user too, writing, “Recreation with a lot of thinking.”
Yet another one wrote, “India can be like this if it has a visionary leader + zero corruption.”
Many users argue that Bhatia goes beyond calling out problems and instead ends up mocking Indians themselves. His jabs about Delhi’s air quality, intelligence levels, and everyday lifestyle choices strike critics as derisive rather than helpful. Posting frequently from the U.S., he often draws comparisons between life there and in India, which detractors say feels like talking down to the country from a place of comfort and privilege, with little recognition of on-ground realities or the efforts of people dealing with them daily.
The criticism, they add, is not about one stray remark. Over time, users say they have seen a consistent pattern in his posts—blunt, dismissive takes on governance, public behaviour, and broader social issues that has steadily fuelled the backlash.
Who is Sabeer Bhatia?
Indian American tech entrepreneur Sabeer Bhatia rose to global prominence as the co-founder of Hotmail, an early webmail platform that reshaped digital communication and was later bought by Microsoft. Now based in Silicon Valley, his career has extended well beyond that milestone, spanning startup building, angel investing, and public-facing initiatives. His professional background shows involvement with several ventures and sustained engagement with young companies, alongside an active interest in technology-led governance and civic innovation. Educated at BITS Pilani, Caltech, and Stanford University, Bhatia frequently frames his journey as one shaped by Indian education and American opportunity, while remaining outspoken and, at times, a polarizing voice on social and policy debates.